Senegal Feature Package Artısan Fıshıng

epa02125560 A boy from Senegal uses a hand line to fish on the shores of the Atlantic ocean in the 400 year old fishing village of Ngor, Dakar, Senegal, 13 April 2010. Heavy fishing by international companies has put great pressure on traditional fishing communities. Highlighted as one of the main causes for the lack of fish today is the deals that have been struck over the last 50 years between the governments of West African nationsthe countries owning large fishing fleets from EuropeAsia. These deals have benefitted the West African governments financially but not the people they govern. The foreign countries enjoying the fertile fishing grounds have been accused of overexploiting the resourcesultimately depleting the fishing stocks once the livelihood of the artisanal fishermen. Often in traditional fishing communities, fish are an important food source,fishing is a way of lifebasis for local cultures. As fish populations decline, stocks move offshore, making them inaccessible to small-scale, artisanal fishermen who do not have equipment to access offshore stocks.  EPA/NIC BOTHMA PLIGHT OF THE ARTISANAL FISHERMAN OF WEST AFRICA